GREATER Western Sydney's past two club champions are at odds after kick machine Heath Shaw robbed teammate Shane Mumford of a potential League record in round 19.
Mumford had 16 handballs and zero kicks in Saturday's 88-point thrashing of Richmond in Canberra, falling one short of the AFL record of 17 set by Fremantle's Aaron Sandilands in round 13, 2015.
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The star ruckman had his chance to equal the record but the ball was stolen from him by Shaw, when the reigning Kevin Sheedy medallist snatched the footy out of his teammate's hands just as he was about to dish it off in the second term.
As he often does, Mumford got back inside the Giants' defensive 50 to help his back six and lunged for a diving mark just before half-time, but when he failed to realise that the umpire hadn't paid his diving effort, Shaw swooped.
"I told him to slow it down but I turned around quicker than him because ruckmen aren't that smart," Shaw laughed when recounting the story to AFL.com.au.
"The umpire called play on and he was in 'no man's land' as usual, Mumford-style, so I just grabbed it out of his hands and took off.
"I'm not even sure if it was a legal manoeuvre."
Shaw said wasn't aware that he'd destroyed Mumford's chance at matching Sandilands' feat against the Tigers, but would try to make it up to his ruckman.
"It makes me a little bit happier because we don't want Mumford walking any taller than he already does around the club," he joked.
"No, I will definitely apologise because big men love those records for most hit-outs and things like that, they thrive on it.
"If I've robbed him of a little bit of history, then I know he'll be a little bit upset."
As revealed by AFL.com.au on Tuesday, Mumford's effort was the 12th time he's gone kickless in his 145-game career.
Mumford has had just 36 kicks in 17 games this season, an average of just over two per game, but dishes off plenty of possessions to his runner each week as one of the most influential ruckman in the League.
"It should be an unwritten rule, there's not too many ruckmen around the League that should be allowed to kick," Shaw said.
"The ball drop is a long way so the margin for error is reasonably high, and with the amount of extra padding Mumford has on his legs, he doesn't need any more pressure with ball in hand.
"He's very good at handing it off as you saw on the weekend, he's more comfortable tapping it or tackling."
Mumford was unaware he'd registered donuts in the kicks column at Manuka Oval when he spoke to AFL.com.au and arguably the Giants' most important player didn't seem to have any issues with it.
"'Know your limitations', as I've been told many a time!" he laughed.
"That’s my go if I get the ball, I'm going to give it to someone on the outside and let the 'users' use it, as they say.
"I always seem to have blokes coming past me when I take a mark or anything like that, so the boys obviously don't like me kicking it.
"I'm the complete opposite to 'Shawry' (Heath Shaw), he has 30 kicks and no handballs."
Shaw, who has led the competition for kicks, bounces and rebound 50s the past two seasons he's been at the Giants, said there's a perfectly good theory behind his preference to dispose of the ball by foot.
"It's called football for a reason," Shaw said.
"I like to kick it and make sure I'm controlling it because I can kick further than I can handball, so the further you kick it, the further it is from the opposition's goals.
"My handballs on the weekend went at 33 per cent (efficiency) too so that’s another reason I don't do it."
